1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing technology, and more particularly relates to the technology of a computer system capable of dividing a hardware resource into a plurality of partitions and operating them.
2. Description of the Related Art
Although recently a large-scaled multi-processor computer server system has been promoted, in some computer server system, the number of partitions can be modified and each partition can also be modified, based on the load of a process by theoretically dividing the hardware resource of a system, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a main storage device (memory), or the like into a plurality off partitions and operating each partition as an independent computer system. In such a system, if each partition is provided with a local area network (LAN) function, a switching hub (line concentration device with a switching function is connected to a network interface card (hereinafter omitted as “NIC”), which is a LAN controller, and is incorporated into the system, instead of simply providing the NIC conventionally. This method enables more flexible networking building. For example, if there remain unused LAN ports in the system, a large amount of transmission capacity and its performance can be improved, by bundling and using a plurality of LAN ports. Such a system can also dissolve the complication and troublesomeness due to the increase of wiring cables caused by the expansion of its system scale.
Such a switching hub has a variety of functions, which are actually utilized in such a system provided with the above-mentioned switching hub.
For example, a virtual LAN (VLAN) function, which is one of such functions can be used to make each partition independent and to prevent partitions from unintentionally communicate with each other.
Furthermore, for example, a link aggregation function, which is such another function, can be used to secure a large amount of transmission capacity by assigning a plurality of NICs to one partition and bundling them.
Concerning the present invention, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. H10-224382 discloses a technology for dynamically rebuilding the VLAN of a network/device and solving network problems, such as the looping of a data packet, the collision of an address, a broadcast stream or the like.
The above-mentioned setting of a variety of operating condition for a switching hub provided for a computer server system must be made after the system manager firstly detects the components of a hardware resource distributed to each partition and then the connection condition between a NIC distributed to each partition and a switching hub, which is very complicated and troublesome.
If the components of a partition are modified after the completion of such a setting, the system manager must also reset the switching hub according to the modification.